The Complete Guide to Blender Graphics: Computer Modeling and Animation

391 Pages·2012·15.429 MB·English

by  John M. Blain

The Complete Guide to
Blender Graphics
© 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
© 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
The Complete Guide to
Blender Graphics
Computer Modeling and Animation
John M. Blain

© 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Cover image courtesy of Kevin Hays.
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
© 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
No claim to original U.S. Government works
Version Date: 20120404
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-4665-1704-2 (eBook - PDF)
This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but
the author and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers have attempted to
trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained.
If any copyright material has not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint.
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Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to
infringe.
Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at
http://www.taylorandfrancis.com
and the CRC Press Web site at
http://www.crcpress.com
© 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Cover image courtesy of Kevin Hays.
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
© 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
No claim to original U.S. Government works
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
Version Date: 20120216
International Standard Book Number: 978-1-4665-1703-5 (Paperback)
This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable efforts have been made to
publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials
or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material repro-
duced in this publication and apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any
copyright material has not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint.
Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any
form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming,
and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers.
For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, please access www.copyright.com (http://www.copy-
right.com/) or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400.
CCC is a not-for-profit organization that provides licenses and registration for a variety of users. For organizations that have been
granted a photocopy license by the CCC, a separate system of payment has been arranged.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifica-
tion and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data
Blain, John M., 1942-
The complete guide to Blender graphics : computer modeling and animation / John M. Blain. -- 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4665-1703-5 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Computer animation. 2. Three-dimensional display systems. 3. Computer graphics. 4. Blender
(Computer file) I. Title.
TR897.7.B573 2012
777’.7--dc23 2012000422
Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at
http://www.taylorandfrancis.com
and the CRC Press Web site at
http://www.crcpress.com
© 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Table of Contents
Introduction xi
Computer Modeling and Animation ..........................................................................................xi
Blender Versions ............................................................................................................................xi
Graphical User Interface ..............................................................................................................xii
Evolution .......................................................................................................................................xii
Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................xii
How to Get Blender xiii
Recommended Viewing xvii
Blender 3D Design Course: Tufts University ..........................................................................xvii
1 The Blender Interface 19
1.1 The Blender Screen ................................................................................................................19
1.2 The User Preferences Window .............................................................................................22
1.3 Preset Interface Arrangements .............................................................................................24
1.4 The 3D Window .....................................................................................................................25
1.5 Window Modes ......................................................................................................................28
1.6 Layers .......................................................................................................................................29
1.7 Moving in 3D Space ...............................................................................................................30
1.8 The Blender View Menu ........................................................................................................32
1.9 The Properties Window .........................................................................................................33
1.10 Blender Controls ..................................................................................................................35
1.11 Blender Windows .................................................................................................................36
1.12 Add-Ons ................................................................................................................................38
2 Navigation 39
2.1 Navigate and Save ...................................................................................................................39
2.2 Windows Explorer .................................................................................................................43
2.3 The Append or Link Command ...........................................................................................44
© 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
2.4 Packing Data ...........................................................................................................................45
2.5 Importing Objects ..................................................................................................................46
3 Creating and Editing Objects 49
3.1 Working with Basic Meshes ..................................................................................................49
3.2 Placing Objects on the Screen ..............................................................................................49
3.3 Edit Mode and Object Mode ................................................................................................50
3.4 Mesh Types..............................................................................................................................51
3.5 Cursor Placement ...................................................................................................................52
3.6 Moving Objects ......................................................................................................................52
3.7 Scaling Objects .......................................................................................................................53
3.8 Rotating Objects .....................................................................................................................53
3.9 Precision Manipulation .........................................................................................................53
3.10 The Transformation Widget ...............................................................................................55
3.11 Mesh Vertex Editing ............................................................................................................55
3.12 Selecting Vertices .................................................................................................................56
3.13 Edit Mode Selection Options .............................................................................................56
3.14 Creating Vertices ..................................................................................................................57
3.15 Center Points ........................................................................................................................58
3.16 Object Display ......................................................................................................................59
3.17 Smooth and Flat Shading Options .....................................................................................60
3.18 Extruding Shapes .................................................................................................................60
3.19 Proportional Vertex Editing ...............................................................................................61
3.20 Creating Ground ..................................................................................................................61
3.21 Edge Loop Selection ............................................................................................................62
3.22 Joining and Separating Meshes ..........................................................................................65
3.23 Deleting Vertices, Edges, or Faces ......................................................................................65
3.24 Adding Faces .........................................................................................................................65
3.25 Modifiers ...............................................................................................................................66
3.26 The Knife Tool ......................................................................................................................72
3.27 Sculpt Mode ..........................................................................................................................75
4 Materials 85
4.1 Introduction to Materials ......................................................................................................85
4.2 Material Settings .....................................................................................................................85
4.3 Material Buttons .....................................................................................................................87
4.4 Material Colors .......................................................................................................................87
4.5 Adding a New Material .........................................................................................................87
4.6 The Preview Tab .....................................................................................................................88
4.7 The Diffuse Tab .......................................................................................................................88
4.8 The Specular Tab ....................................................................................................................90
4.9 The Hardness Value ...............................................................................................................91
4.10 Ramp Shaders .......................................................................................................................92
4.11 Transparency ........................................................................................................................92
4.12 Halo Settings .........................................................................................................................93
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© 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
4.13 Vertex Painting .....................................................................................................................93
4.14 The Application of Materials and Material Slots ..............................................................99
5 Textures 109
5.1 Introductiont to Textures ....................................................................................................109
5.2 Texture Mapping ..................................................................................................................112
5.3 Displacement Mapping .......................................................................................................113
5.4 UV Texture Mapping ...........................................................................................................114
5.5 Selective UV Texture Mapping ...........................................................................................117
5.6 Unwrapping with Seams......................................................................................................119
5.7 Texture Paint .........................................................................................................................121
6 World Settings 125
6.1 Introduction to World Settings ..........................................................................................125
6.2 Mist ........................................................................................................................................127
6.3 Stars ........................................................................................................................................127
6.4 Texture as Background ........................................................................................................127
6.5 Image as Background ...........................................................................................................129
6.6 Image as Template ................................................................................................................130
7 Lighting and Cameras 131
7.1 Lighting .................................................................................................................................131
7.2 Cameras .................................................................................................................................134
8 Rendering and Ray Tracing 137
8.1 Render Settings .....................................................................................................................137
8.2 Rendering a JPEG Image .....................................................................................................138
8.3 Creating a Video Clip ..........................................................................................................139
8.4 Ray Tracing ...........................................................................................................................140
9 Animation Basics 143
9.1 Introduction to Animation .................................................................................................143
9.2 Moving, Rotating, and Scaling ...........................................................................................144
9.3 Viewing Your Animation ....................................................................................................149
9.4 The Graph Editor Window .................................................................................................149
9.5 Editing the Curve .................................................................................................................152
9.6 Other Types of Curves .........................................................................................................153
9.7 Modifying Curves ................................................................................................................155
9.8 Automatic Key Framing ......................................................................................................157
9.9 Animating Other Features ..................................................................................................157
9.10 Keying Sets ..........................................................................................................................159
9.11 Wind Strength Animation ................................................................................................160
9.12 Animation Following Curves ...........................................................................................162
10 3D Text 177
10.1 Introduction to 3D Text ....................................................................................................177
10.2 Creating 3D Text in Blender .............................................................................................177
Table of Contents vii
© 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
10.3 The Object Data Button .....................................................................................................178
10.4 Creating Text on a Curve ..................................................................................................180
10.5 Converting Text to a Mesh Object ...................................................................................181
10.6 Converting Text to a Curve ..............................................................................................182
10.7 Elefont 3D Text ...................................................................................................................182
11 NURBS and Meta Shapes 185
11.1 Using NURBS .....................................................................................................................185
11.2 Creating a Lofted Tunnel ..................................................................................................187
11.3 Meta Shapes ........................................................................................................................188
12 Modifiers 191
12.1 Introduction to Modifiers .................................................................................................191
12.2 Modifier Stacks ...................................................................................................................192
12.3 Modifiers for Generating ..................................................................................................193
12.4 Modifiers for Deforming ...................................................................................................213
12.5 Modifiers for Simulating ...................................................................................................223
13 Particle Systems 239
13.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................239
13.2 Setting Up a Particle System .............................................................................................240
13.3 Particle Settings and Material Influence .........................................................................248
13.4 The Particles Panel .............................................................................................................250
13.5 Starting a Particle System ..................................................................................................252
13.6 Material Influence on Particles .........................................................................................254
13.7 Particle Interaction ............................................................................................................257
13.8 Wind ....................................................................................................................................258
13.9 Sample Particle Settings ....................................................................................................260
13.10 Keyed Particle Systems ....................................................................................................262
13.11 Boids Particle Systems .....................................................................................................264
13.12 Hair Particle Systems .......................................................................................................270
13.13 The Assignment Tab ........................................................................................................275
14 Child/Parent Relationships and Constraints 283
14.1 Child/Parent Relationships ...............................................................................................283
14.2 Introduction to Constraints ..............................................................................................285
14.3 Transform Constraints ......................................................................................................286
14.4 Tracking Constraints .........................................................................................................288
14.5 Relationship Constraints ...................................................................................................290
14.6 Duplicating along Curves .................................................................................................297
14.7 Extruding along Curves ....................................................................................................299
14.8 The Follow Path Constraint ..............................................................................................299
15 Armatures 307
15.1 Adding an Armature ..........................................................................................................307
15.2 Single Bone Armatures ......................................................................................................307
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© 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
15.3 Armature Display Types ....................................................................................................308
15.4 Multibone Armatures ........................................................................................................309
15.5 Deforming a Mesh Object .................................................................................................310
15.6 Armature Modifiers ...........................................................................................................312
15.7 Humanoid Armatures .......................................................................................................314
15.8 Disconnected Bones ..........................................................................................................315
15.9 Vertex Groups or Field of Influence ................................................................................319
15.10 Inverse Kinematics ...........................................................................................................320
16 Shape Key and Action Editors 323
16.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................323
16.2 Shape Key Editor ................................................................................................................323
16.3 Action Editor ......................................................................................................................325
17 Fluid Simulation 329
17.1 Introduction to Fluid Simulation .....................................................................................329
17.2 Basic Setup (Scenario 1) ....................................................................................................329
17.3 Basic Setup (Scenario 2) ....................................................................................................334
17.4 Fluid Simulation with Particle Objects ...........................................................................338
17.5 Fluid Simulation with Control Objects ...........................................................................340
18 Nodes 341
18.1 Introduction to Nodes .......................................................................................................341
18.2 Node Groups .......................................................................................................................344
18.3 Material Nodes ...................................................................................................................345
18.4 Texture Nodes .....................................................................................................................353
18.5 Compositing Nodes ...........................................................................................................356
19 The Blender Game Engine 359
19.1 Introduction to the Game Engine ....................................................................................359
19.2 Game Animation ................................................................................................................363
20 Video Sequence Editing 365
20.1 Making a Movie ..................................................................................................................365
20.2 The Video Editing Screen ..................................................................................................366
A Basic Blender Commands 371
B Supplements 375
B.1 Installing Add-Ons ..............................................................................................................375
B.2 The Outliner Window .........................................................................................................379
References 385
Index 387
Table of Contents ix
© 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC